


Not your brother

by LucyLightwood



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, Protective Siblings, Supportive Brother, Trans Character, Trans Kaiba Mokuba, Yami Yuugi | Atem has his own body, trans Mokuba
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-05 18:48:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19046263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucyLightwood/pseuds/LucyLightwood
Summary: Seto gets home late as always, finding a distressed Mokuba waiting for him. It's not that he doesn't like seeing his brother, but he's been trying to hide his new relationship from him.Unbeknownst to him, Mokuba has been keeping a secret as well.





	Not your brother

He didn't look at the clock on the wall when he got to his apartment after a long day of work, he never did. Mostly because he never quite stopped working. There was too much to do, and little time. Although it wasn't only about the amount of work, or his responsibilities, truth be told his mind wouldn't stop unless he put it to good use. He had ideas, most of them ambitious, and they wouldn't let him rest until he saw them become real.

This meant not many people understood him, or could keep up with his rhythm. Which, in turn, had meant a lonely childhood and early adolescence. The only one he had had during those years had been his brother, who was little and needed to be taken care of. A task Seto gladly accepted, from day one. No one would harm his little brother, no one would even look at him in a bad way. Their father had died, yes, but Seto was there and he would do his best to protect little Mokuba.

Seto didn't look at the clock when he got home, but if he had he would've realized it was a quarter to midnight, way too early to be home by his standards.

Perhaps he would still be typing away in his office if his last year hadn't been so different. Seto didn't like depending on others, he found it troublesome and he knew it didn't end well. His own ' _family_ ' had turned their backs on them, and then they were on their own. Trusting people gets you hurt, and Kaiba knew it best. Or at least he thought he did.

What do you do when you find yourself someone's company? It wasn't like him to _yearn_ for anyone, but it had happened. And even though he wanted to hate him, he couldn't.

Atem was the best thing that had happened to him in those last few years. With his tanned skin, stupidly dyed hair and golden rings.

The apartment was completely quiet, and the lights were dim enough for him to make his way through the living room. Mokuba should've been sleeping, but lately Seto would arrive home and find him pacing, or staring out the window with a sorrowful expression on his face.

This time it was different. His brother was awake, yes, but he was waiting for him in the hallway, arms crossed and brow furrowed.

"Good evening" Seto tried, not quite sure as to what was going on.

"We need to talk"

Hm. He nodded, opening the door to the home office he had. It was a comfortable place, with a couch or two -Mokuba used to sit next to him while he worked, and Kaiba wanted him to be comfortable. After all, he had been so small... he still was, his little brother.

Kaiba closed the office's door, walking back to his desk and leaning against it. He could see his brother had something on his mind, he had been troubled for a while.

If anyone asked Seto -not that anyone would- who was his family or who he cared about he wouldn't doubt it. His whole life it had been the two of them. In the beginning he had had his parents, blurred memories now, too long ago to even recall how a hug felt. Most of the photographs of the four of them had been lost at some point in their life, not that a picture would ever give them their parents back, but perhaps it could bring back old memories.

Seto wondered how much his brother remembered. He couldn't remember much of their mother but... Did he remember the songs his father used to sing them to sleep? Or the stories? He wouldn't ask, there was no need to put him through that distress. Seto had not cried about his parents in many, many years. He hadn't cried, period. But his little brother was different, he had made sure he would be kept safe from the ugliness of the world. Well, most of it.

"Mokie..."

Mokuba kept his eyes on the floor, a hand on one of his arms, squeezing it. He didn't sit either.

"It's nothing"

"It's something... You can tell me anything, you know that" Seto leaned in, placing a hand on one of his shoulders. Mokuba was young still, but he would soon qualify as a 'teenager'. He was growing way too fast.

Mokuba looked away from him, slightly exasperated. They were so alike it scared him sometimes. Not that there was anything wrong with him, but he wanted his little brother to be happy, to be... Not so much like him. Not quite.

"I just... I wanted to..." he mumbled, not really getting anywhere. Seto squeezed his shoulder "I wanted to... To paint my nails"

Oh? Seto tilted his head, not quite sure as to what the problem was. He had always allowed him to express himself however he wanted. Seto hadn't said a word about his brother's predilection for pink shirts or soft pastel suits. It suited him, and there was no real reason to be afraid of colors. Seto wasn't stupid, of course, he knew the societal norms.

"So? Did that Jonouchi said something to you?" he was already feeling murderous. There were many reasons why he didn't like Jonouchi, and even though he didn't hate him, there was something about his mildly homophobic, kind of sexist comments that irked him. And if he had so much as glared at his brother he would cut off his hands.

"No... Nobody said anything because I didn't do it"

"Why not?" Kaiba leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest

"That's for girls!"

"Says who?"

"Everyone?" Mokuba chewed on his lower lip, looking up at him from behind his dark hairs. It had always been a struggle to get him to cut his hair.

"Mokuba... Mokie" Seto lowered his tone, he was concerned but focused on being as comforting as he was able "There's nothing wrong with wanting to paint your nails"

The boy shrugged, but his demeanor was slightly more relaxed than before. "Tell you what, we'll do it together"

Mokuba stared at him as if he had suddenly gone mental, it made him chuckle. It was nice to be able to surprise his brother.

"But... No. You are the CEO, you can't-..."

"I can do what I want" Seto pulled out the chair from behind his desk and sat down "Some 'rules' are meant to be broken, brother. Go on"

Mokuba hesitated before leaving the office. He wondered how long it would take for him to come back, and was amused when it wasn't even five minutes and the boy was rushing into the office again. Seto had never been interested in jewelry or make up, but he recognized a nail polish bottle or two. Although, apparently his past self had been a big fan of the eyeliner. Ugh.

Mokuba brought one of the big chairs close, and sat down, placing the things on the desk. Even though he had full access to the list of things Mokuba bought, this had flown under the radar.

His little brother looked at him, unsure again. It was hard seeing him so torn for something so simple.

"Fine, do mine first" Seto placed his hand over the desk, trying to encourage him. He had lots of work to do, and he tried to find time for his brother but he knew it wasn't enough. Carefully, a layer of blue paint was set on the smallest of his nails. He smiled when Mokuba looked up for his reaction. It wasn't the worst color, although it felt really strange on his hand. "Why do you want to do this?"

"I think it looks cool! Like a rock star"

Seto felt the love for his brother squeeze at his heart, and wanted to reach out and hug him.

"Blue's not a bad color" He moved his hand a bit, causing his brother to groan and tell him to sit still. There was an ease to him now that he hadn't seen in weeks. "Is this all it was about?"

"I guess..."

"We don't have to keep secrets from one another"

"You have secrets" Mokuba frowned at him, starting on his other hand. "I'm not a child, I can handle things"

"You know most of what happens in our corporation"

"I'm not talking about your work"

Seto had never intended on keeping secrets, or treating him like a child. He had just tried to protect him... and himself. The relationship he had with Atem was new, young, and he was scared it would be exposed to the world just for it to go sour. He _wanted_ it to last.

That was another thing about him, when he wanted something: he _wanted_ it. All of it. He wouldn't compromise, or go half way, if he wanted Atem... he wanted all of him. And he knew Atem was the same. They had agreed to keep it a secret for a while, given how they were public figures. It would be much harder to sneak out on dates if the paparazzi tried to follow them.

Sometimes Kaiba wondered how much of a fuzz it would cause. He knew magazines put him at the top of the bachelors' list, and people gossiped about his 'romantic' life. Or lack thereof. Ugh, it was all so _basic_ it hurt his brain.

"I was waiting for the right time to say it" Ugh, he sounded like a cliché, but it was true. Mokuba's opinion was the one that mattered.

"You didn't even tell me you like men"

Oh. Seto shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"No!" Mokuba gave him a look "but you're my brother"

"I'm sorry" He never apologized to anyone, but those rules didn't apply to his brother. He would do anything for him. He had done almost _everything_ to get him back.

"'s okay"

When Mokuba was done with his hands, he carefully placed the nail polish on the desk, looking nervous. Seto realized he wasn't going to paint his own nails unless he got a little help, so being the big brother he was he grabbed the small bottle and one of Mokuba's hands.

_Alright, how hard can this be?,_ he was a genius but he had never painted anyone's nails before.

"Does he make you happy?"

"Yes"

Seto had thought they were going to talk about Mokuba and what was troubling him, he didn't like this sudden change in topics.

"Mokie, if there's anything you want to... say" He looked up after painting a couple of his nails, trying very hard - _and failing a bit-_ not to stain his skin "I'm here. I'm your brother"

Mokuba swallowed, looking away.

Seto remembered the onetime Mokuba had called him _dad_. It had been a mistake, surely, but he had heard it. He was very small, and he was carrying him to bed. It was hard, considering how thin Seto was -the orphanage didn't have great food- and how he had never really held a child before. Mokuba had been sleepy, holding onto him for dear life.

It had been a mistake, a slip of the tongue, surely... but when Seto placed him on the bed, he heard a _"'night, dad"_ he would never forget. 

"It's not just the nail polish, is it?" He lowered his tone, trying to make him understand that it was okay, whatever it was. Seto wasn't an old fashioned man, and he had noticed... things about his brother but he had never wanted to assume anything.

Mokuba shook his head very softly, his long hair moving with it. "No. It's not..." There was a pause "I'm not your brother" Seto frowned, moving the nail polish to the side and staring at Mokuba. For a split second his heart froze, but then something inside his brain made a connection. Something he had known when they were little, but had forgotten with the passage of time. Or perhaps he had chosen to ignore it until Mokuba brought it up. "I'm your sister"

Mokuba was staring at him, lip trembling.

"Alright" Seto nodded, leaning forward and bringing _her_ close to him for a hug. "How can I help?"

Mokuba hugged him as tightly as he could, shaking and trying her very best not to cry. Seto always got too worried when she cried. It was strange, he realized, how easy his brain accepted the 'change'. But Mokuba was his family, and perhaps he had always known. After all, he had modeled Princess Adena after his 'brother'. Not a prince, a princess.

Of course, the model was supposed to be approved by Mokuba first but... _things happened_ and they weren't able to talk about it again. Back then Seto didn't know what Mokuba felt _exactly_ but he knew what she liked, and he knew she felt a bit ashamed about it. Or shy. Or something.

And he remembered all those times when he had told Mokuba bedtime stories. Seto had started with princes and knights and pirates, but she would get bored, until one day he told one about a princess. Seto didn't know anything about gender back then, he only knew 'his little brother' liked princesses, and there was nothing wrong with that.

Now he knew, and he would do anything to see Mokuba happy.

"I-..." She coughed "I've tried to go to my doctor's appointment but..." She looked away. It was okay not to be brave all the time, Kaiba would never make fun of her for being a bit scared. "I chickened out"

"I'll go with you, then" He moved away, using a hand to pull some hairs out of Mokuba's face. Getting to cut her hair had always been _a problem,_ and he had stopped insisting when he realized it wasn't his hair, and she could do whatever she wanted with it. "Is _Mokuba_ still okay?"

"Yeah, I like my name" She frowned "but I don't want you calling me brother or... you know"

Seto nodded, of course he knew. He might live inside his office, but he wasn't ignorant. Besides, Atem was _really_ involved with the lgbt+ community and he tried to be a supportive boyfriend, which meant he had to read all those books and internet articles about privilege and gender and whatnot.

Mokuba pulled away from the hug and got up, a small smile on her face. It was the first time in months that Seto saw her without that weird melancholic look. "It's late, Seto, you should go to bed already" She frowned like she always did "I'm going to bed... ow, I ruined my nails with our hug"

Seto laughed and shrugged "We can fix them tomorrow"

There was another hug, shorter but as tight as the first one and then Mokuba ran from his office. Kaiba knew this wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to make it so she didn't have to even _see_ a rude comment. They were public figures, yes, but Seto had enough reach to shield her from all of that.

He sat behind his desk, opening his laptop. It took him less than five minutes to give the order for the computer to change all of Mokuba's pronouns across the company files. The private ones, at least. He wasn't sure if she wanted everyone to know, and Seto wasn't going to expose his sister.

Even though his bed was waiting for him, the temptation of work was too much and he was about to start typing away the hours, when his phone' screen lightened up and a familiar face smiled up at him.

_Are you up?_

**Yes, why?**

_I'm outside._

Seto smirked, pulling away from his desk and quietly making his way to the front door. He composed himself before opening the door, because he couldn't be caught with a stupid grin on his face. He had some pride after all.

"It's late"

Atem smiled and shrugged, wearing a long coat that could easily be mistaken by a cloak. It was way too attractive and Seto _almost_ hated how much he liked it.

"And you're still up"

"I am" He moved to the side, watching him as he walked inside. It gave him some weird satisfaction to be taller than him. "Bed?"

Atem nodded, walking towards him. He grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him down and kissing him. "Come on, Kaiba, I don't have all day"

Yeah, he did, but they still teased each other. Kaiba tried not to think about how domestic they had gotten with the passing of time, but he loved it. There was something warm and soothing about getting back home to someone. Even if they were sneaking around.

"Mokuba knows, about us I mean"

Atem raised an eyebrow, taking his coat off and sitting on the bed. His face was an invitation to discuss what had happened, and if Seto was alright, if everything had gone well, and Seto didn't know what to do with so much support. Sometimes, he wondered if he truly deserved it.

"It went well" He said, before the other man could ask "You should stay, for breakfast, I mean"

"I would love that, Seto" Hearing his name from those lips never got boring. "How is he?"

" _She_. We... talked about that as well" He sat down next to his partner and shrugged "She's fine... "

Atem took his hand in between both of his, carefully touching his fingers "You are worried"

"Of course I'm worried! Mokuba... deserves the world. And I don't care about what people say about me, but... Not with my sister" He frowned "I won't see her hurt because of some ignorant fucks"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, it might all be easier than you think. Besides, she's got you"

Seto shrugged. He wondered if he had been enough, if he was _enough._ He wasn't a father, not really, and he tried to be a big brother... knowing how much he was failing at that. But what could he do? He had to work, he _wanted_ to work, and he couldn't help being the way that he was.

He swallowed, and Atem must have seen his distress, because he pulled him closer, hugging him and kissing his head. "Why are you so tall?"

"You love it"

"Not when I'm trying to be the supportive boyfriend" He groaned, kissing his cheek just so Seto didn't have to hunch down too much. "I know you are her big brother... but you've been an excellent father as well"

Kaiba didn't look at him, swallowing the lump on his throat. It wasn't easy to hear those things. He _did_ remember their father, and he had never wanted to replace him. Besides, this was some sort of limbo, wasn't it? He wasn't just an older brother, but he wasn't a father either, was he?

"Thank you, Atem. That's... nice of you to say"

"Don't give me that bullshit. Say what you think..."

Seto sighed and untangled himself from his arms, taking off his shoes and pants "Families are complicated, that's all" Atem nodded, even though he didn't quite have a family either. He had Yuugi of course, and his family but not one of his own. They were the same in that sense. Kind of.

Quite quickly they both got out of their everyday clothes, snuggling in bed together. Seto was too tired to try anything and he could see his boyfriend only wanted to cuddle. Wasn't that the most domestic and stereotypical thing he could think of? Maybe it was, but he didn't care. Not when they were together like this.

"I'm glad you are staying for breakfast" He whispered, once the lights were off. Some things were better said in the dark.

"Thank you for letting me stay" Atem moved closer, pressing his chest to his back like they did every night. "Oh, and Kaiba?"

Seto barely moved "Mh?"

"You look hot with your nails painted like that"

"Shut up"

"It's true"

"Go to sleep, _pharaoh_ " He chuckled, barely pushing him away just to be squeezed again.

It was good. _Life_ was good.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! This came to mind after re-watching the whole virtual world thing and seeing Princess Adena. Please leave a comment if you can!  
> <3


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